Having encountered Harper Lee's novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird' previous to this brief, I have a pre-existing interpretation of the novel. While the book's main theme is race and perception of race and is primarily concerned with Atticus Finch's defending of Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused of raping a white woman in a Maycomb’s racist white community, it is the character of Arthur 'Boo' Radley who I believe provides a greater moral message on the ignorance of society as a whole, not just in regard to race.
Ignorance is the primary catalyst of racism, with people in the town shown to hate blacks for no apparent reason. In the same instance, Scout and Jem fear Boo because of ghost stories they have heard around town, despite knowing nothing about him as a result of his seemingly sociopathic status having not ventured outside of his brother's home where he lives for years.
Atticus seemingly also plays a role on two sides, going against the town’s majority feeling in his defending of Tom as he sees the towns demeanour toward him is purely based on racism. Similarly to this, he knows Scott and Jem fear Boo because of rumours heard around the town and attempts to change their attitudes towards him.
In the end of the novel, Boo heroically rescues Jem and Scout and he is finally seen as a person just like anyone else. Jem's superstitions are vindicated as he realises that Boo has been watching over and protecting him and Scout, having left them gifts in the knothole of the tree by his brother's house throughout the novel. In the same way that Jem absolves his doubts of Boo, if people ceased their blind racism, they would be able to see that black people are equals in society.
Idea Generation
Considering the role of Arthur 'Boo' Radley in Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' I have devised three potential concepts for the Adult Fiction cover design:
Concept 01
Over the course of the novel, Jem and Scout discover several items hidden in the knothole of the tree. In total, they find sticks of gum, a small box containing coins, a ball of grey twine, two figures carved from soap, a spelling medal and a pocket-watch. Eventually, they realize that Boo is the one leaving the gifts and are extremely upset when Nathan Radley, his brother, fills the knothole with cement. Concept 01 proposes a cover featuring small illustrations of all the gifts left in the knothole of the tree, these acting as a series of small clues of Boo's true persona to be understood by the reader as they delve further into the novel, slowly realising the significance of the items as they are left in the tree progressively throughout the story.
Concept 02
A more straightforward indication of Boo Radley's actions within the novel, featuring a knothole within a tree - this also representative of things behind hidden/held within: Boo a recluse within his brother's house, the good that exists within people, the racism within the town, the innocence within Tom Robinson and ultimately the story within the cover of the book.
Concept 03
A purely typographic list of the items left inside the knothole of the tree by Boo Radley in contrast to the visual representations in concept one.
Concept Feedback and Selection
Feedback recieved regarding each of the three concepts in critique detail concept 02 as the most favourable as it accordingly has a deeper context in regard to the novel - providing a more comprehensive representation of the story and characters.
Concepts 01 and 02 have been deemed more superficial and less concerned with the novels themes and range of characters, with too much focus placed on Boo Radley’s character.
Following this feedback I plan to develop concept 02 into the cover design for the Penguin Student Design Awards Adult Fiction sector.
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